1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to institutional footwear or shoes. More particularly, the present invention relates to tamper resistant shoes that discourage concealment of contraband and/or weapons, thus potentially saving lives.
2. Related Art
Many institutions, such as prisons, correctional facilities, asylums, and the like, are charged with incarcerating or otherwise detaining people. In addition, such a charge often requires that the institutions restrict such people from various contraband, including for example, weapons and drugs. It will be appreciated that such people often expend great effort and go to great lengths to obtain and conceal such contraband. Such efforts can include tampering with or modifying personal effects to conceal the contraband. Tampering with or modifying the personal effects can damage the personal effects, requiring the institution to replace the personal effects at great expense to the institution.
Certain laws and/or court rulings also require that incarcerated people be provided with certain basic, personal effects, such as clothing and toiletries. It will be appreciated that these personal effects often can become the subject of tampering or modification, as described above, to conceal contraband. It also will be appreciated that such incarcerated people often have little or no motivation to maintain their personal effects. Thus, these personal effects are often subject to extraordinary wear from lack of care, abuse, and tampering. Because institutions are required to provide these personal effects, they are required to replace the worn, abused and/or modified personal effects, often at great expense to the institution.
In addition, it will be appreciated that some contraband, such as concealed weapons, can be used on corrections officers or other incarcerated persons.
It has been recognized that it would be advantageous to develop a method and shoe for institutional use that resists tampering, abuse and wear to reduce replacement costs. In addition, it has been recognized that it would be advantageous to develop a shoe that resists concealment of contraband, such as weapons, to provide additional safety to corrections officers and other incarcerated persons.
The invention provides a tamper resistant institutional shoe to discourage concealment of contraband in an institutional setting, such as prisons or correctional facilities. The institutional shoe can include an upper shoe and an outsole joined together to form a cavity to receive a user""s foot with the outsole disposed under the user""s foot and the upper shoe extending over the user""s foot. The outsole advantageously can be light transparent in at least a translucent manner. In addition, a colored insert advantageously can be fixedly disposed in the cavity on an upper surface of the outsole. The colored insert can be visible through the outsole so that tampering with the outsole or attempts to conceal contraband can be viewed through the outsole. Therefore, contraband, such as weapons, cannot be concealed within the outsole, potentially saving the lives of corrections officers and other incarcerated persons. The colored insert can include a light color to better reflect light through the outsole.
In accordance with a more detailed aspect of the present invention, a rigid board can be disposed in the cavity over the upper surface of the outsole and over the colored insert to resist access to the colored insert and the outsole.
In accordance with another more detailed aspect of the present invention, a plurality of layers of different material can be disposed in the cavity over the upper surface of the outsole. The plurality of layers is adhered to adjacent layers to resist tampering. At least one of the layers can include a material with an internal strength less than a bond strength of the adhesive. Thus, an attempt to tamper with the layer can result in visible destruction of the layer.
In accordance with another more detailed aspect of the present invention, indicia can be disposed between the insert and the outsole and can be visible through the outsole. The indicia can include an identification of a correctional facility.
In accordance with another more detailed aspect of the present invention, the institutional shoe can be provided without any metal or rigid plastic components. Such components might be used as weapons, and can be detected by metal detectors, resulting in false alarms.
A method for discouraging concealment of contraband in an institutional setting can includes providing people confined to an institution with shoes as described above. The shoes can be inspected for evidence of tampering or for contraband concealed therein by viewing the outsole and looking through the outsole.
In accordance with a more detailed aspect of the present invention, the shoes can be inspected without removing the shoes from the feet of the people wearing the shoes. Alternatively, the shoes can be removed and inspected both inside and out. The inside of the shoes can be inspected for evidence of tampering.
In addition, the lack of metal components allows the shoes to clear metal detectors, thus saving processing time.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which together illustrate, by way of example, features of the invention.